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The vampire’s blood tore down my throat like acid.
King Maximus held me against the massive wall that surrounded his Black Palace, while I uselessly fought with all I had.
My eight-year-old brother bore witness to the horror, cowering against a tree, his face streaming with tears.
When Maximus first captured me, I had wished to die. I had even told him to kill me, just not in front of Timotei. It seemed like my best option, but the Black King had decided a different fate for me. Exactly what it would be, I had no idea. But this one thing I knew... it would be worse than death.
A scream rose from my chest but was muffled by the King’s wrist as it pressed tighter against my lips, his veins spouting frigid blood into my mouth. My desperation echoed against the trees, rending the night.
Despite its coldness, the blood seemed to ignite my throat as if someone were force feeding me white-hot steel straight from the forge. The inferno traveled to my chest, then my limbs, sparking a torturous fire in my very core. In seconds, my bones would turn to ash, and I would collapse to the ground, limp and lifeless.
My body thrashed.
Vampire blood didn’t only heal, it also killed. I hadn’t known that. It seemed I was dying after all.
The inferno ceased abruptly. I went still. My thrashing limbs fell limp. An eerie calm descended over me. Finally... this was death, release. I wished for oblivion and not a hell where I would forever be tortured by my brother’s fate.
Forgive me, Timotei.
Energy surged from my chest, destroying the calm, denying the peace I desired.
“Just the right amount,” King Maximus said, his voice rumbling in my ear as he released me and stepped back.
I landed in a crouch, chest heaving. The vampire blood inside my body was a crashing wave sweeping over me, then raging like a tornado, breaking free the walls that bound my emotions.
In a surge, anger, elation, sadness, frustration, excitement, and all manner of feelings mixed and collided inside my chest. Above all of them, a new sensation prevailed: a burst of strength, a restless power that made me feel as if I could take on all the gods.
Overcome by this foreign force, I growled, my eyes darting to the King’s still-bleeding wrist. I greedily licked my lips.
A laugh rumbled deep inside Maximus’s throat.
“Now,” he said, “show me how much better and more righteous than me you are.” He stepped aside, giving me a full view of Timotei, still curled up in fear, his back against a tree.
Wide, blue eyes stared up at me, hope and relief building in them. He’d also thought the King would kill me, but here I was, standing on my own two legs, energized. No, I wasn’t dead. In fact, I’d never felt more alive. I could hear every chirping insect and see the bark in the tree trunks almost as if it were daytime.
Timotei uncurled, stretching his legs away from his chest and slowly rising to his feet.
“Nyro?” he said, his little voice breaking.
“See, pet,” the King purred. “I listen to reason. I didn’t kill him as you begged.” He smiled crookedly, one fang showing.
His expression should have alerted me to the effects of his blood, but I was too intent on Timotei.
He glanced toward King Maximus, a combination of gratitude and fear in his eyes. When his gaze returned to me, fresh tears were spilling down his face, and whatever force had kept him at bay thus far released him.
“Nyro!” he exclaimed, then rushed toward me and tumbled into my arms.
I swept him up, relief washing over me.
“Timotei.” I held him tightly, burying my face in his soft hair and closing my eyes.
His warmth seeped into me, making me realize how chilled I was. A sweet, enticing scent rose from him. I inhaled sharply as he shook against me, sobbing.
Slowly, I lowered my head and pressed him more tightly against me. It felt so good to finally have him with me. He was safe.
I inhaled once more. The scent was sweeter still. A light throbbing tapped against my lips. Suddenly, all the feelings raging inside me coalesced into one.
Hunger.
My eyes sprang open, and I found that my mouth and nose were pressed tightly against Timotei’s neck.
King Maximus stood behind my brother, smiling coolly. He inclined his head in invitation as if he were a friend offering me a tankard of ale.
I froze, repulsion and shame unfurling in my stomach and battling against the fierce, clawing hunger.
Timotei’s warmth and throbbing life seemed to call my name. I breathed his sweetness, marveling at the fact that I’d never noticed it. He’d always smelled like sweat, street dog, and wildness. And now... this.
Something so different, so... unnatural.
A battle of wills unleashed inside my mind. A part of me was terribly aware of the wrongness. Yet, more basic instincts urged me to embrace the hunger, regardless of the consequences. As both sides battled, my entire body trembled.
“You’re not better,” the King had said before he’d fed me his blood. “You’re just like everyone else, just like I once was. I will prove it to you.”
King Maximus went on smiling, waiting patiently to prove me wrong.
He did this!
Anger flared deep in my soul, a small spark battling the power of my hunger.
I stoked the small ember.
King Maximus had done this. He thought he could turn me into a monster.
My anger grew.
Body tense and vibrating with the effort, I set my brother down and took two steps back.
“Stay away from me, Timotei,” I said between clenched teeth.
His face twisted in confusion and, behind him, so did the King’s.
My body quaked with hunger and fury.
There was only one being who deserved the brunt of all I felt, including the mighty strength that currently possessed my limbs.
I lunged for the King.